Carlisle
is fortunate to have five very qualified, experienced and committed
candidates running for selectman this year. Their contrasting views
provide an unusual and valuable opportunity to consider Carlisle's future.
We should be grateful to all of them for the choice they present. The
opportunity to make choices is the essence of New England participatory
democracy.

This
year's Town Meeting/election cycle presents another important choice.
We are being asked to decide whether to authorize an additional $115,000
in property taxes. We are presented with this choice because of Proposition
2 1/2. That law prohibits the town government from raising taxes more
than 2.5 percent without an affirmative vote.

The
need for this funding could not be more clear. The override request
is supported by the board of selectmen, the finance committee and the
school committee. But support for this funding is not limited to current
office holders. Every one of the candidates for selectman has publicly
expressed support for the override.

The
need for this funding has been anticipated for several years. Everyone
who has struggled with town budgets has recognized that funding available
under the constraints of Proposition 2 1/2 would not be sufficient to
meet our needs. The legislature which imposed those constraints has
been freewheeling in imposing unfunded state mandates such as special
education, mandatory transportation for students attending private schools
and new core curriculum requirements. Tax limits that may have made
sense in the early 1980s are woefully inadequate to meet the needs of
a burgeoning school enrollment.

There
are no luxuries in the proposed override budgets. In fact, there will
be some loss of level services even if the override passes. Town officials
will be challenged to meet our high expectations even with additional
funding. But they seem to enjoy those challenges.

Carlisle
is fortunate to have so many capable, committed volunteers who are willing
to help make the town work. We should not deny them the modest revenue
increases they consider essential for meeting our expectations. We can
show our support by attending Town Meeting and voting in support of
the override request at the election on May 11.